Abstract
AbstractRecent acquisition of high‐resolution satellite imagery of the Martian surface has permitted landslides to be studied on a global scale on Mars for the first time. We apply the Scoops3D software package to compute slope stability for select regions of the Martian surface, combining calculations of slope stability with number of observed landslides (Crosta, Frattini, et al., 2018; Crosta, De Blasio, et al., 2018), as reported in a recently published inventory of Martian landslides, to understand controls on the global distribution of landslides on Mars. We find that the distribution of landslides does not simply follow the distribution of unstable slopes. In particular, there is an abundance of landslides around Tharsis, and especially in Valles Marineris and Noctis Labyrinthus, which is not explained by an abundance of unstable topography alone. We analyzed for but did not find a clear large‐scale lithologic or stratigraphic control on landslide occurrence from subsurface heterogeneities. Other possibilities to explain the increased occurrence of landslides in Tharsis include (1) thin weak unit(s) that is regionally widespread and at multiple stratigraphic levels, such as from interbedded ashes; (2) seismic activity related to the Tharsis's geological activity, and (3) possible groundwater near Valles Marineris into the Amazonian. Given the apparently young ages of many landslide deposits in Valles Marineris (Quantin et al., 2004), continued modern day analysis of lithologies in Valles Marineris and observations of Martian seismicity may act to strengthen or rebut the first two hypotheses.
Highlights
Since the arrival of the Mariner 9 spacecraft, large-scale landslides have been observed on Mars in the Valles Marineris canyon system (e.g., Lucchitta, 1978)
There is an abundance of landslides around Tharsis, and especially in Valles Marineris and Noctis Labyrinthus, which is not explained by an abundance of unstable topography alone
Other possibilities to explain the increased occurrence of landslides in Tharsis include (1) thin weak unit(s) that is regionally widespread and at multiple stratigraphic levels, such as from interbedded ashes; (2) seismic activity related to the Tharsis's geological activity, and (3) possible groundwater near Valles Marineris into the Amazonian
Summary
Since the arrival of the Mariner 9 spacecraft, large-scale landslides have been observed on Mars in the Valles Marineris canyon system (e.g., Lucchitta, 1978). Many of these landslides are very large, with volumes in excess of 1000 km. Many of these landslides are very large, with volumes in excess of 1000 km3 Such landslides often include large slump blocks near the head of the landslide, separated from a larger apron comprising the furthest-traveling landslide debris by areas of hummocky or transversely ridged terrain (Lucchitta et al, 1979). Some studies have promoted the importance of fluidization of the landslide mass with (Harrison & Grimm, 2003; Legros, 2002; Lucchitta, 1987; Quantin, Allemand, & Delacourt, 2004a; Roche et al, 2011) or without water and volatiles (Hsü, 1975; Johnson & Campbell, 2017; Lajeunesse et al, 2006; McEwen, 1989; Soukhovitskaya & Manga, 2006), and some landslides may have had lubricating, low-friction materials in their bases,
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